As a mobile station or mobile subscriber station (e.g., a handset, a wireless equipped computer, a wireless equipped PDA, etc.) moves from one wireless network to another, the serving or source wireless network hands off serving the communication needs of the mobile station to the new or target network. Preferably, the handoff technique results in a transfer from the source to the target network that is seamless to the mobile station. However, providing a seamless transfer for a mobile station involved in a data session may provide added challenges.
For example, a mobile user may be running an application on the mobile station that depends on being provided with data in real-time. An interruption (even a slight interruption) in the handling of the communication needs of the mobile station will be readily apparent to the mobile user. Accordingly, providing seamless transfer of a data session during handoff of a mobile station from a source network to a target network is one of the ongoing challenges in the development and evolution of numerous wireless communication standards. For instance, this problem is currently a subject in the development of the 802.16e standard.